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James Blake earned the United States a commanding 2-0 lead with a gutsy 6-3 7-6 6-7 7-6 victory over Russian Mikhail Youzhny in the second singles match of the Davis Cup final yesterday.
American No 1 Andy Roddick had outclassed Dmitry Tursunov 6-4 6-4 6-2 in the opening rubber of the three-day tie at Memorial Coliseum in Portland, Oregon.
Blake, who lost to Youzhny in their only previous encounter in last year's semifinal, held off a spirited fightback by his opponent in a fluctuating contest lasting three-and-a-half hours.
The American failed to serve out for the match when leading 5-4 in the fourth set, but he held his nerve to clinch the tiebreak 7-3 when Youzhny netted a forehand.
"He played great and he's got a lot more experience than me in situations like this," a jubilant Blake said in a courtside television interview. "For me to come through is a big moment for me and for the team. And playing at home makes it a lot more fun."
Blake's victory puts the United States on the brink of a record 32nd Davis Cup title with the dominant Bryan brothers, Bob and Mike, due to take on Nikolay Davydenko and Igor Andreev in the doubles to be played overnight.
The Bryans, winners of five grand slam titles together, have lost just one doubles match in 13 Davis Cup appearances.
Big-serving Roddick fired 25 aces against Tursunov to wrap up victory in just under two hours and put the United States in early control.
"I felt pretty good out there," Roddick, 25, told a news conference after improving his career record to 3-1 over the Russian.
"I've been serving pretty well in practice all week. I felt like I found my groove and that makes it a lot easier when the court is quick enough to take action on the serve."
Roddick, who regularly unleashed serves in excess of 140 km/h on the slick, indoor surface, paid tribute to the crowd of just under 13,000.
"They were amazing and when they stood in that last game of the final set it was probably one of the coolest experiences of my career so far," said the American, who lost to Tursunov in five sets in last year's semifinal.
Tursunov, ranked 34th in the world, survived three break points in the third game of the opening set before being broken in the fifth after hitting a backhand wide.
Roddick squandered his first set point in the ninth game but held serve in a tight 10th that featured a further six set points to forge ahead 6-4.
The American world No 6 broke his opponent in the third game of the second set and survived his only break point in the eighth before unleashing his 19th ace of the match to take it 6-4.
Roared on by the near-capacity crowd, Roddick swept through the third set after breaking Tursunov in the first and fifth games to give the US a perfect start.
Holders Russia, who beat Argentina in last year's final in Moscow, have lost to the United States twice in three Davis Cup ties.
- REUTERS
